# Welcome to PhpSpreadsheet's documentation ![Logo](./assets/logo.svg) PhpSpreadsheet is a library written in pure PHP and providing a set of classes that allow you to read from and to write to different spreadsheet file formats, like Excel and LibreOffice Calc. # Getting started ## Software requirements The following software is required to develop using PhpSpreadsheet: - PHP version 5.5 or newer - PHP extension php\_zip enabled (see [FAQ](./faq.md#php-complains-about-ziparchive-not-being-found)) - PHP extension php\_xml enabled - PHP extension php\_gd2 enabled (if not compiled in) ## Installation instructions Installation is quite easy: copy the contents of the Classes folder to any location within your application source directories. *Example:* If your web root folder is /var/www/ you may want to create a subfolder called /var/www/Classes/ and copy the files into that folder so you end up with files: /var/www/Classes/PHPExcel.php /var/www/Classes/PHPExcel/Calculation.php /var/www/Classes/PHPExcel/Cell.php ... ## Getting started A good way to get started is to run some of the tests included in the download. Copy the "Examples" folder next to your "Classes" folder from above so you end up with: /var/www/Examples/01simple.php /var/www/Examples/02types.php ... Start running the tests by pointing your browser to the test scripts: http://example.com/Tests/01simple.php http://example.com/Tests/02types.php ... **Note:** It may be necessary to modify the include/require statements at the beginning of each of the test scripts if your "Classes" folder from above is named differently. ## Useful links and tools There are some links and tools which are very useful when developing using PhpSpreadsheet. ### OpenXML / SpreadsheetML - [File format documentation](http://www.ecma-international.org/news/TC45_current_work/TC45_available_docs.htm) - [OpenXML Explained e-book](http://openxmldeveloper.org/articles/1970.aspx) - [Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en) - [OpenXML Package Explorer](http://www.codeplex.com/PackageExplorer/) # Architecture ## Schematical ![01-schematic.png](./images/01-schematic.png "Basic Architecture Schematic") ## AutoLoader PhpSpreadsheet relies on Composer autoloader. So before working with PhpSpreadsheet in standalone, be sure to run `composer install`. Or add it to a pre-existing project with `composer require phpoffice/phpspreadsheet`. ## Spreadsheet in memory PhpSpreadsheet's architecture is built in a way that it can serve as an in-memory spreadsheet. This means that, if one would want to create a web based view of a spreadsheet which communicates with PhpSpreadsheet's object model, he would only have to write the front-end code. Just like desktop spreadsheet software, PhpSpreadsheet represents a spreadsheet containing one or more worksheets, which contain cells with data, formulas, images, ... ## Readers and writers On its own, the `Spreadsheet` class does not provide the functionality to read from or write to a persisted spreadsheet (on disk or in a database). To provide that functionality, readers and writers can be used. By default, the PhpSpreadsheet package provides some readers and writers, including one for the Open XML spreadsheet format (a.k.a. Excel 2007 file format). You are not limited to the default readers and writers, as you are free to implement the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader and \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\IWriter interface in a custom class. ![02-readers-writers.png](./images/02-readers-writers.png "Readers/Writers") ## Fluent interfaces PhpSpreadsheet supports fluent interfaces in most locations. This means that you can easily "chain" calls to specific methods without requiring a new PHP statement. For example, take the following code: ``` php $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setCreator("Maarten Balliauw"); $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setLastModifiedBy("Maarten Balliauw"); $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setTitle("Office 2007 XLSX Test Document"); $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setSubject("Office 2007 XLSX Test Document"); $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setDescription("Test document for Office 2007 XLSX, generated using PHP classes."); $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setKeywords("office 2007 openxml php"); $spreadsheet->getProperties()->setCategory("Test result file"); ``` This can be rewritten as: ``` php $spreadsheet->getProperties() ->setCreator("Maarten Balliauw") ->setLastModifiedBy("Maarten Balliauw") ->setTitle("Office 2007 XLSX Test Document") ->setSubject("Office 2007 XLSX Test Document") ->setDescription("Test document for Office 2007 XLSX, generated using PHP classes.") ->setKeywords("office 2007 openxml php") ->setCategory("Test result file"); ``` > **Using fluent interfaces is not required** Fluent interfaces have > been implemented to provide a convenient programming API. Use of them > is not required, but can make your code easier to read and maintain. > It can also improve performance, as you are reducing the overall > number of calls to PhpSpreadsheet methods: in the above example, the > `getProperties()` method is being called only once rather than 7 times > in the non-fluent version. # Creating a spreadsheet ## The `Spreadsheet` class The `Spreadsheet` class is the core of PhpSpreadsheet. It contains references to the contained worksheets, document security settings and document meta data. To simplify the PhpSpreadsheet concept: the `Spreadsheet` class represents your workbook. Typically, you will create a workbook in one of two ways, either by loading it from a spreadsheet file, or creating it manually. A third option, though less commonly used, is cloning an existing workbook that has been created using one of the previous two methods. ### Loading a Workbook from a file Details of the different spreadsheet formats supported, and the options available to read them into a Spreadsheet object are described fully in the [Reading Files](../topics/reading-files.md) document. ``` php $inputFileName = './sampleData/example1.xls'; /** Load $inputFileName to a Spreadsheet object **/ $spreadsheet = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::load($inputFileName); ``` ### Creating a new workbook If you want to create a new workbook, rather than load one from file, then you simply need to instantiate it as a new Spreadsheet object. ``` php /** Create a new Spreadsheet Object **/ $spreadsheet = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Spreadsheet(); ``` A new workbook will always be created with a single worksheet. ## Clearing a Workbook from memory The PhpSpreadsheet object contains cyclic references (e.g. the workbook is linked to the worksheets, and the worksheets are linked to their parent workbook) which cause problems when PHP tries to clear the objects from memory when they are unset(), or at the end of a function when they are in local scope. The result of this is "memory leaks", which can easily use a large amount of PHP's limited memory. This can only be resolved manually: if you need to unset a workbook, then you also need to "break" these cyclic references before doing so. PhpSpreadsheet provides the disconnectWorksheets() method for this purpose. ``` php $spreadsheet->disconnectWorksheets(); unset($spreadsheet); ``` # Worksheets A worksheet is a collection of cells, formulae, images, graphs, etc. It holds all data necessary to represent a spreadsheet worksheet. When you load a workbook from a spreadsheet file, it will be loaded with all its existing worksheets (unless you specified that only certain sheets should be loaded). When you load from non-spreadsheet files (such as a CSV or HTML file) or from spreadsheet formats that don't identify worksheets by name (such as SYLK), then a single worksheet called "WorkSheet1" will be created containing the data from that file. When you instantiate a new workbook, PhpSpreadsheet will create it with a single worksheet called "WorkSheet1". The `getSheetCount()` method will tell you the number of worksheets in the workbook; while the `getSheetNames()` method will return a list of all worksheets in the workbook, indexed by the order in which their "tabs" would appear when opened in MS Excel (or other appropriate Spreadsheet program). Individual worksheets can be accessed by name, or by their index position in the workbook. The index position represents the order that each worksheet "tab" is shown when the workbook is opened in MS Excel (or other appropriate Spreadsheet program). To access a sheet by its index, use the `getSheet()` method. ``` php // Get the second sheet in the workbook // Note that sheets are indexed from 0 $spreadsheet->getSheet(1); ``` If you don't specify a sheet index, then the first worksheet will be returned. Methods also exist allowing you to reorder the worksheets in the workbook. To access a sheet by name, use the `getSheetByName()` method, specifying the name of the worksheet that you want to access. ``` php // Retrieve the worksheet called 'Worksheet 1' $spreadsheet->getSheetByName('Worksheet 1'); ``` Alternatively, one worksheet is always the currently active worksheet, and you can access that directly. The currently active worksheet is the one that will be active when the workbook is opened in MS Excel (or other appropriate Spreadsheet program). ``` php // Retrieve the current active worksheet $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet(); ``` You can change the currently active sheet by index or by name using the `setActiveSheetIndex()` and `setActiveSheetIndexByName()` methods. ## Adding a new Worksheet You can add a new worksheet to the workbook using the `createSheet()` method of the `Spreadsheet` object. By default, this will be created as a new "last" sheet; but you can also specify an index position as an argument, and the worksheet will be inserted at that position, shuffling all subsequent worksheets in the collection down a place. ``` php $spreadsheet->createSheet(); ``` A new worksheet created using this method will be called "Worksheet<n>" where "<n>" is the lowest number possible to guarantee that the title is unique. Alternatively, you can instantiate a new worksheet (setting the title to whatever you choose) and then insert it into your workbook using the addSheet() method. ``` php // Create a new worksheet called "My Data" $myWorkSheet = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet($spreadsheet, 'My Data'); // Attach the "My Data" worksheet as the first worksheet in the Spreadsheet object $spreadsheet->addSheet($myWorkSheet, 0); ``` If you don't specify an index position as the second argument, then the new worksheet will be added after the last existing worksheet. ## Copying Worksheets Sheets within the same workbook can be copied by creating a clone of the worksheet you wish to copy, and then using the addSheet() method to insert the clone into the workbook. ``` php $clonedWorksheet = clone $spreadsheet->getSheetByName('Worksheet 1'); $clonedWorksheet->setTitle('Copy of Worksheet 1') $spreadsheet->addSheet($clonedWorksheet); ``` You can also copy worksheets from one workbook to another, though this is more complex as PhpSpreadsheet also has to replicate the styling between the two workbooks. The addExternalSheet() method is provided for this purpose. $clonedWorksheet = clone $spreadsheet1->getSheetByName('Worksheet 1'); $spreadsheet->addExternalSheet($clonedWorksheet); In both cases, it is the developer's responsibility to ensure that worksheet names are not duplicated. PhpSpreadsheet will throw an exception if you attempt to copy worksheets that will result in a duplicate name. ## Removing a Worksheet You can delete a worksheet from a workbook, identified by its index position, using the removeSheetByIndex() method ``` php $sheetIndex = $spreadsheet->getIndex( $spreadsheet->getSheetByName('Worksheet 1') ); $spreadsheet->removeSheetByIndex($sheetIndex); ``` If the currently active worksheet is deleted, then the sheet at the previous index position will become the currently active sheet. # Accessing cells Accessing cells in a Spreadsheet should be pretty straightforward. This topic lists some of the options to access a cell. ## Setting a cell value by coordinate Setting a cell value by coordinate can be done using the worksheet's `setCellValue()` method. ``` php // Set cell A1 with a string value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A1', 'PhpSpreadsheet'); // Set cell A2 with a numeric value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A2', 12345.6789); // Set cell A3 with a boolean value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A3', TRUE); // Set cell A4 with a formula $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue( 'A4', '=IF(A3, CONCATENATE(A1, " ", A2), CONCATENATE(A2, " ", A1))' ); ``` Alternatively, you can retrieve the cell object, and then call the cell’s setValue() method: ``` php $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet() ->getCell('B8') ->setValue('Some value'); ``` **Excel DataTypes** MS Excel supports 7 basic datatypes - string - number - boolean - null - formula - error - Inline (or rich text) string By default, when you call the worksheet's `setCellValue()` method or the cell's `setValue()` method, PhpSpreadsheet will use the appropriate datatype for PHP nulls, booleans, floats or integers; or cast any string data value that you pass to the method into the most appropriate datatype, so numeric strings will be cast to numbers, while string values beginning with “=” will be converted to a formula. Strings that aren't numeric, or that don't begin with a leading "=" will be treated as genuine string values. This "conversion" is handled by a cell "value binder", and you can write custom "value binders" to change the behaviour of these "conversions". The standard PhpSpreadsheet package also provides an "advanced value binder" that handles a number of more complex conversions, such as converting strings with a fractional format like "3/4" to a number value (0.75 in this case) and setting an appropriate "fraction" number format mask. Similarly, strings like "5%" will be converted to a value of 0.05, and a percentage number format mask applied, and strings containing values that look like dates will be converted to Excel serialized datetimestamp values, and a corresponding mask applied. This is particularly useful when loading data from csv files, or setting cell values from a database. Formats handled by the advanced value binder include - TRUE or FALSE (dependent on locale settings) are converted to booleans. - Numeric strings identified as scientific (exponential) format are converted to numbers. - Fractions and vulgar fractions are converted to numbers, and an appropriate number format mask applied. - Percentages are converted to numbers, divided by 100, and an appropriate number format mask applied. - Dates and times are converted to Excel timestamp values (numbers), and an appropriate number format mask applied. - When strings contain a newline character ("\n"), then the cell styling is set to wrap. You can read more about value binders later in this section of the documentation. ### Setting a date and/or time value in a cell Date or time values are held as timestamp in Excel (a simple floating point value), and a number format mask is used to show how that value should be formatted; so if we want to store a date in a cell, we need to calculate the correct Excel timestamp, and set a number format mask. ``` php // Get the current date/time and convert to an Excel date/time $dateTimeNow = time(); $excelDateValue = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Shared\Date::PHPToExcel( $dateTimeNow ); // Set cell A6 with the Excel date/time value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue( 'A6', $excelDateValue ); // Set the number format mask so that the excel timestamp will be displayed as a human-readable date/time $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A6') ->getNumberFormat() ->setFormatCode( \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Style\NumberFormat::FORMAT_DATE_DATETIME ); ``` ### Setting a number with leading zeroes By default, PhpSpreadsheet will automatically detect the value type and set it to the appropriate Excel numeric datatype. This type conversion is handled by a value binder, as described in the section of this document entitled "Using value binders to facilitate data entry". Numbers don't have leading zeroes, so if you try to set a numeric value that does have leading zeroes (such as a telephone number) then these will be normally be lost as the value is cast to a number, so "01513789642" will be displayed as 1513789642. There are two ways you can force PhpSpreadsheet to override this behaviour. Firstly, you can set the datatype explicitly as a string so that it is not converted to a number. ``` php // Set cell A8 with a numeric value, but tell PhpSpreadsheet it should be treated as a string $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValueExplicit( 'A8', "01513789642", \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\DataType::TYPE_STRING ); ``` Alternatively, you can use a number format mask to display the value with leading zeroes. ``` php // Set cell A9 with a numeric value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A9', 1513789642); // Set a number format mask to display the value as 11 digits with leading zeroes $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A9') ->getNumberFormat() ->setFormatCode( '00000000000' ); ``` With number format masking, you can even break up the digits into groups to make the value more easily readable. ``` php // Set cell A10 with a numeric value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A10', 1513789642); // Set a number format mask to display the value as 11 digits with leading zeroes $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getStyle('A10') ->getNumberFormat() ->setFormatCode( '0000-000-0000' ); ``` ![07-simple-example-1.png](./images/07-simple-example-1.png) **Note** that not all complex format masks such as this one will work when retrieving a formatted value to display "on screen", or for certain writers such as HTML or PDF, but it will work with the true spreadsheet writers (Xlsx and Xls). ## Setting a range of cells from an array It is also possible to set a range of cell values in a single call by passing an array of values to the `fromArray()` method. ``` php $arrayData = array( array(NULL, 2010, 2011, 2012), array('Q1', 12, 15, 21), array('Q2', 56, 73, 86), array('Q3', 52, 61, 69), array('Q4', 30, 32, 0), ); $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet() ->fromArray( $arrayData, // The data to set NULL, // Array values with this value will not be set 'C3' // Top left coordinate of the worksheet range where // we want to set these values (default is A1) ); ``` ![07-simple-example-2.png](./images/07-simple-example-2.png) If you pass a 2-d array, then this will be treated as a series of rows and columns. A 1-d array will be treated as a single row, which is particularly useful if you're fetching an array of data from a database. ``` php $rowArray = array('Value1', 'Value2', 'Value3', 'Value4'); $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet() ->fromArray( $rowArray, // The data to set NULL, // Array values with this value will not be set 'C3' // Top left coordinate of the worksheet range where // we want to set these values (default is A1) ); ``` ![07-simple-example-3.png](./images/07-simple-example-3.png) If you have a simple 1-d array, and want to write it as a column, then the following will convert it into an appropriately structured 2-d array that can be fed to the `fromArray()` method: ``` php $rowArray = array('Value1', 'Value2', 'Value3', 'Value4'); $columnArray = array_chunk($rowArray, 1); $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet() ->fromArray( $columnArray, // The data to set NULL, // Array values with this value will not be set 'C3' // Top left coordinate of the worksheet range where // we want to set these values (default is A1) ); ``` ![07-simple-example-4.png](./images/07-simple-example-4.png) ## Retrieving a cell value by coordinate To retrieve the value of a cell, the cell should first be retrieved from the worksheet using the `getCell()` method. A cell's value can be read using the `getValue()` method. ``` php // Get the value fom cell A1 $cellValue = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A1') ->getValue(); ``` This will retrieve the raw, unformatted value contained in the cell. If a cell contains a formula, and you need to retrieve the calculated value rather than the formula itself, then use the cell's `getCalculatedValue()` method. This is further explained in . ``` php // Get the value fom cell A4 $cellValue = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A4') ->getCalculatedValue(); ``` Alternatively, if you want to see the value with any cell formatting applied (e.g. for a human-readable date or time value), then you can use the cell's `getFormattedValue()` method. ``` php // Get the value fom cell A6 $cellValue = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getCell('A6') ->getFormattedValue(); ``` ## Setting a cell value by column and row Setting a cell value by coordinate can be done using the worksheet's `setCellValueByColumnAndRow()` method. ``` php // Set cell B5 with a string value $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValueByColumnAndRow(1, 5, 'PhpSpreadsheet'); ``` **Note** that column references start with '0' for column 'A', rather than from '1'. ## Retrieving a cell value by column and row To retrieve the value of a cell, the cell should first be retrieved from the worksheet using the getCellByColumnAndRow method. A cell’s value can be read again using the following line of code: ``` php // Get the value fom cell B5 $cellValue = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getCellByColumnAndRow(1, 5) ->getValue(); ``` If you need the calculated value of a cell, use the following code. This is further explained in . ``` php // Get the value fom cell A4 $cellValue = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->getCellByColumnAndRow(0, 4) ->getCalculatedValue(); ``` ## Retrieving a range of cell values to an array It is also possible to retrieve a range of cell values to an array in a single call using the `toArray()`, `rangeToArray()` or `namedRangeToArray()` methods. ``` php $dataArray = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet() ->rangeToArray( 'C3:E5', // The worksheet range that we want to retrieve NULL, // Value that should be returned for empty cells TRUE, // Should formulas be calculated (the equivalent of getCalculatedValue() for each cell) TRUE, // Should values be formatted (the equivalent of getFormattedValue() for each cell) TRUE // Should the array be indexed by cell row and cell column ); ``` These methods will all return a 2-d array of rows and columns. The `toArray()` method will return the whole worksheet; `rangeToArray()` will return a specified range or cells; while `namedRangeToArray()` will return the cells within a defined `named range`. ## Looping through cells ### Looping through cells using iterators The easiest way to loop cells is by using iterators. Using iterators, one can use foreach to loop worksheets, rows within a worksheet, and cells within a row. Below is an example where we read all the values in a worksheet and display them in a table. ``` php $reader = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createReader('Xlsx'); $reader->setReadDataOnly(TRUE); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("test.xlsx"); $worksheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet(); echo '' . PHP_EOL; foreach ($worksheet->getRowIterator() as $row) { echo '' . PHP_EOL; $cellIterator = $row->getCellIterator(); $cellIterator->setIterateOnlyExistingCells(FALSE); // This loops through all cells, // even if a cell value is not set. // By default, only cells that have a value // set will be iterated. foreach ($cellIterator as $cell) { echo '' . PHP_EOL; } echo '' . PHP_EOL; } echo '
' . $cell->getValue() . '
' . PHP_EOL; ``` Note that we have set the cell iterator's `setIterateOnlyExistingCells()` to FALSE. This makes the iterator loop all cells within the worksheet range, even if they have not been set. The cell iterator will return a **NULL** as the cell value if it is not set in the worksheet. Setting the cell iterator's setIterateOnlyExistingCells() to FALSE will loop all cells in the worksheet that can be available at that moment. This will create new cells if required and increase memory usage! Only use it if it is intended to loop all cells that are possibly available. ### Looping through cells using indexes One can use the possibility to access cell values by column and row index like (0,1) instead of 'A1' for reading and writing cell values in loops. Note: In PhpSpreadsheet column index is 0-based while row index is 1-based. That means 'A1' \~ (0,1) Below is an example where we read all the values in a worksheet and display them in a table. ``` php $reader = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createReader('Xlsx'); $reader->setReadDataOnly(TRUE); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("test.xlsx"); $worksheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet(); // Get the highest row and column numbers referenced in the worksheet $highestRow = $worksheet->getHighestRow(); // e.g. 10 $highestColumn = $worksheet->getHighestColumn(); // e.g 'F' $highestColumnIndex = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell::columnIndexFromString($highestColumn); // e.g. 5 echo '' . "\n"; for ($row = 1; $row <= $highestRow; ++$row) { echo '' . PHP_EOL; for ($col = 0; $col <= $highestColumnIndex; ++$col) { echo '' . PHP_EOL; } echo '' . PHP_EOL; } echo '
' . $worksheet->getCellByColumnAndRow($col, $row) ->getValue() . '
' . PHP_EOL; ``` Alternatively, you can take advantage of PHP's "Perl-style" character incrementors to loop through the cells by coordinate: ``` php $reader = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createReader('Xlsx'); $reader->setReadDataOnly(TRUE); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("test.xlsx"); $worksheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet(); // Get the highest row number and column letter referenced in the worksheet $highestRow = $worksheet->getHighestRow(); // e.g. 10 $highestColumn = $worksheet->getHighestColumn(); // e.g 'F' // Increment the highest column letter $highestColumn++; echo '' . "\n"; for ($row = 1; $row <= $highestRow; ++$row) { echo '' . PHP_EOL; for ($col = 'A'; $col != $highestColumn; ++$col) { echo '' . PHP_EOL; } echo '' . PHP_EOL; } echo '
' . $worksheet->getCell($col . $row) ->getValue() . '
' . PHP_EOL; ``` Note that we can't use a <= comparison here, because 'AA' would match as <= 'B', so we increment the highest column letter and then loop while \$col != the incremented highest column. ## Using value binders to facilitate data entry Internally, PhpSpreadsheet uses a default \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\IValueBinder implementation (\PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\DefaultValueBinder) to determine data types of entered data using a cell's `setValue()` method (the `setValueExplicit()` method bypasses this check). Optionally, the default behaviour of PhpSpreadsheet can be modified, allowing easier data entry. For example, a \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\AdvancedValueBinder class is available. It automatically converts percentages, number in scientific format, and dates entered as strings to the correct format, also setting the cell's style information. The following example demonstrates how to set the value binder in PhpSpreadsheet: ``` php /** PhpSpreadsheet */ require_once 'src/Boostrap.php'; // Set value binder \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell::setValueBinder( new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\AdvancedValueBinder() ); // Create new Spreadsheet object $spreadsheet = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Spreadsheet(); // ... // Add some data, resembling some different data types $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A4', 'Percentage value:'); // Converts the string value to 0.1 and sets percentage cell style $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B4', '10%'); $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('A5', 'Date/time value:'); // Converts the string value to an Excel datestamp and sets the date format cell style $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet()->setCellValue('B5', '21 December 1983'); ``` **Creating your own value binder is easy.** When advanced value binding is required, you can implement the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\IValueBinder interface or extend the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\DefaultValueBinder or \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Cell\AdvancedValueBinder classes. # Reading and writing to file As you already know from part REF \_Ref191885438 \w \h 3.3 REF \_Ref191885438 \h Readers and writers, reading and writing to a persisted storage is not possible using the base PhpSpreadsheet classes. For this purpose, PhpSpreadsheet provides readers and writers, which are implementations of \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader and \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\IWriter. ## \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory The PhpSpreadsheet API offers multiple methods to create a \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader or \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\IWriter instance: Direct creation via \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory. All examples underneath demonstrate the direct creation method. Note that you can also use the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory class to do this. ### Creating \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader using \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory There are 2 methods for reading in a file into PhpSpreadsheet: using automatic file type resolving or explicitly. Automatic file type resolving checks the different \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader distributed with PhpSpreadsheet. If one of them can load the specified file name, the file is loaded using that \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader. Explicit mode requires you to specify which \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader should be used. You can create a \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader instance using \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory in automatic file type resolving mode using the following code sample: ``` php $spreadsheet = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::load("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` A typical use of this feature is when you need to read files uploaded by your users, and you don’t know whether they are uploading xls or xlsx files. If you need to set some properties on the reader, (e.g. to only read data, see more about this later), then you may instead want to use this variant: ``` php $reader = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createReaderForFile("05featuredemo.xlsx"); $reader->setReadDataOnly(true); $reader->load("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` You can create a \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReader instance using \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory in explicit mode using the following code sample: ``` php $reader = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createReader("Xlsx"); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` Note that automatic type resolving mode is slightly slower than explicit mode. ### Creating \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\IWriter using \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory You can create a PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\IWriter instance using \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory: ``` php $writer = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createWriter($spreadsheet, "Xlsx"); $writer->save("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` ## Excel 2007 (SpreadsheetML) file format Xlsx file format is the main file format of PhpSpreadsheet. It allows outputting the in-memory spreadsheet to a .xlsx file. ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx #### Reading a spreadsheet You can read an .xlsx file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` #### Read data only You can set the option setReadDataOnly on the reader, to instruct the reader to ignore styling, data validation, … and just read cell data: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx(); $reader->setReadDataOnly(true); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` #### Read specific sheets only You can set the option setLoadSheetsOnly on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the sheets with a given name: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx(); $reader->setLoadSheetsOnly( array("Sheet 1", "My special sheet") ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` #### Read specific cells only You can set the option setReadFilter on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the cells which match a given rule. A read filter can be any class which implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter. By default, all cells are read using the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\DefaultReadFilter. The following code will only read row 1 and rows 20 – 30 of any sheet in the Excel file: ``` php class MyReadFilter implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter { public function readCell($column, $row, $worksheetName = '') { // Read title row and rows 20 - 30 if ($row == 1 || ($row >= 20 && $row <= 30)) { return true; } return false; } } $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx(); $reader->setReadFilter( new MyReadFilter() ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("06largescale.xlsx"); ``` ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xlsx #### Writing a spreadsheet You can write an .xlsx file using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xlsx($spreadsheet); $writer->save("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` #### Formula pre-calculation By default, this writer pre-calculates all formulas in the spreadsheet. This can be slow on large spreadsheets, and maybe even unwanted. You can however disable formula pre-calculation: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xlsx($spreadsheet); $writer->setPreCalculateFormulas(false); $writer->save("05featuredemo.xlsx"); ``` #### Office 2003 compatibility pack Because of a bug in the Office2003 compatibility pack, there can be some small issues when opening Xlsx spreadsheets (mostly related to formula calculation). You can enable Office2003 compatibility with the following code: $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xlsx($spreadsheet); $writer->setOffice2003Compatibility(true); $writer->save("05featuredemo.xlsx"); **Office2003 compatibility should only be used when needed** Office2003 compatibility option should only be used when needed. This option disables several Office2007 file format options, resulting in a lower-featured Office2007 spreadsheet when this option is used. ## Excel 5 (BIFF) file format Xls file format is the old Excel file format, implemented in PhpSpreadsheet to provide a uniform manner to create both .xlsx and .xls files. It is basically a modified version of [PEAR Spreadsheet\_Excel\_Writer](http://pear.php.net/package/Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer), although it has been extended and has fewer limitations and more features than the old PEAR library. This can read all BIFF versions that use OLE2: BIFF5 (introduced with office 95) through BIFF8, but cannot read earlier versions. Xls file format will not be developed any further, it just provides an additional file format for PhpSpreadsheet. **Excel5 (BIFF) limitations** Please note that BIFF file format has some limits regarding to styling cells and handling large spreadsheets via PHP. ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xls #### Reading a spreadsheet You can read an .xls file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xls(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xls"); ``` #### Read data only You can set the option setReadDataOnly on the reader, to instruct the reader to ignore styling, data validation, … and just read cell data: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xls(); $reader->setReadDataOnly(true); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xls"); ``` #### Read specific sheets only You can set the option setLoadSheetsOnly on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the sheets with a given name: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xls(); $reader->setLoadSheetsOnly( array("Sheet 1", "My special sheet") ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xls"); ``` #### Read specific cells only You can set the option setReadFilter on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the cells which match a given rule. A read filter can be any class which implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter. By default, all cells are read using the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\DefaultReadFilter. The following code will only read row 1 and rows 20 to 30 of any sheet in the Excel file: ``` php class MyReadFilter implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter { public function readCell($column, $row, $worksheetName = '') { // Read title row and rows 20 - 30 if ($row == 1 || ($row >= 20 && $row <= 30)) { return true; } return false; } } $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xls(); $reader->setReadFilter( new MyReadFilter() ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("06largescale.xls"); ``` ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xls #### Writing a spreadsheet You can write an .xls file using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Xls($spreadsheet); $writer->save("05featuredemo.xls"); ``` ## Excel 2003 XML file format Excel 2003 XML file format is a file format which can be used in older versions of Microsoft Excel. **Excel 2003 XML limitations** Please note that Excel 2003 XML format has some limits regarding to styling cells and handling large spreadsheets via PHP. ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Excel2003XML #### Reading a spreadsheet You can read an Excel 2003 .xml file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Excel2003XML(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.xml"); ``` #### Read specific cells only You can set the option setReadFilter on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the cells which match a given rule. A read filter can be any class which implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter. By default, all cells are read using the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\DefaultReadFilter. The following code will only read row 1 and rows 20 to 30 of any sheet in the Excel file: ``` php class MyReadFilter implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter { public function readCell($column, $row, $worksheetName = '') { // Read title row and rows 20 - 30 if ($row == 1 || ($row >= 20 && $row <= 30)) { return true; } return false; } } $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Excel2003XML(); $reader->setReadFilter( new MyReadFilter() ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("06largescale.xml"); ``` ## Symbolic LinK (SYLK) Symbolic Link (SYLK) is a Microsoft file format typically used to exchange data between applications, specifically spreadsheets. SYLK files conventionally have a .slk suffix. Composed of only displayable ANSI characters, it can be easily created and processed by other applications, such as databases. **SYLK limitations** Please note that SYLK file format has some limits regarding to styling cells and handling large spreadsheets via PHP. ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\SYLK #### Reading a spreadsheet You can read an .slk file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\SYLK(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.slk"); ``` #### Read specific cells only You can set the option setReadFilter on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the cells which match a given rule. A read filter can be any class which implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter. By default, all cells are read using the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\DefaultReadFilter. The following code will only read row 1 and rows 20 to 30 of any sheet in the SYLK file: ``` php class MyReadFilter implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter { public function readCell($column, $row, $worksheetName = '') { // Read title row and rows 20 - 30 if ($row == 1 || ($row >= 20 && $row <= 30)) { return true; } return false; } } $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\SYLK(); $reader->setReadFilter( new MyReadFilter() ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("06largescale.slk"); ``` ## Open/Libre Office (.ods) Open Office or Libre Office .ods files are the standard file format for Open Office or Libre Office Calc files. ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Ods #### Reading a spreadsheet You can read an .ods file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Ods(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.ods"); ``` #### Read specific cells only You can set the option setReadFilter on the reader, to instruct the reader to only load the cells which match a given rule. A read filter can be any class which implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter. By default, all cells are read using the \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\DefaultReadFilter. The following code will only read row 1 and rows 20 to 30 of any sheet in the Calc file: ``` php class MyReadFilter implements \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\IReadFilter { public function readCell($column, $row, $worksheetName = '') { // Read title row and rows 20 - 30 if ($row == 1 || ($row >= 20 && $row <= 30)) { return true; } return false; } } $reader = new PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Ods(); $reader->setReadFilter( new MyReadFilter() ); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("06largescale.ods"); ``` ## CSV (Comma Separated Values) CSV (Comma Separated Values) are often used as an import/export file format with other systems. PhpSpreadsheet allows reading and writing to CSV files. **CSV limitations** Please note that CSV file format has some limits regarding to styling cells, number formatting, ... ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\CSV #### Reading a CSV file You can read a .csv file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\CSV(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("sample.csv"); ``` #### Setting CSV options Often, CSV files are not really “comma separated”, or use semicolon (;) as a separator. You can instruct \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\CSV some options before reading a CSV file. Note that \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\CSV by default assumes that the loaded CSV file is UTF-8 encoded. If you are reading CSV files that were created in Microsoft Office Excel the correct input encoding may rather be Windows-1252 (CP1252). Always make sure that the input encoding is set appropriately. ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\CSV(); $reader->setInputEncoding('CP1252'); $reader->setDelimiter(';'); $reader->setEnclosure(''); $reader->setLineEnding("\r\n"); $reader->setSheetIndex(0); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("sample.csv"); ``` #### Read a specific worksheet CSV files can only contain one worksheet. Therefore, you can specify which sheet to read from CSV: ``` php $reader->setSheetIndex(0); ``` #### Read into existing spreadsheet When working with CSV files, it might occur that you want to import CSV data into an existing `Spreadsheet` object. The following code loads a CSV file into an existing \$spreadsheet containing some sheets, and imports onto the 6th sheet: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\CSV(); $reader->setDelimiter(';'); $reader->setEnclosure(''); $reader->setLineEnding("\r\n"); $reader->setSheetIndex(5); $reader->loadIntoExisting("05featuredemo.csv", $spreadsheet); ``` ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV #### Writing a CSV file You can write a .csv file using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV($spreadsheet); $writer->save("05featuredemo.csv"); ``` #### Setting CSV options Often, CSV files are not really “comma separated”, or use semicolon (;) as a separator. You can instruct \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV some options before writing a CSV file: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV($spreadsheet); $writer->setDelimiter(';'); $writer->setEnclosure(''); $writer->setLineEnding("\r\n"); $writer->setSheetIndex(0); $writer->save("05featuredemo.csv"); ``` #### Write a specific worksheet CSV files can only contain one worksheet. Therefore, you can specify which sheet to write to CSV: ``` php $writer->setSheetIndex(0); ``` #### Formula pre-calculation By default, this writer pre-calculates all formulas in the spreadsheet. This can be slow on large spreadsheets, and maybe even unwanted. You can however disable formula pre-calculation: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV($spreadsheet); $writer->setPreCalculateFormulas(false); $writer->save("05featuredemo.csv"); ``` #### Writing UTF-8 CSV files A CSV file can be marked as UTF-8 by writing a BOM file header. This can be enabled by using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV($spreadsheet); $writer->setUseBOM(true); $writer->save("05featuredemo.csv"); ``` #### Decimal and thousands separators If the worksheet you are exporting contains numbers with decimal or thousands separators then you should think about what characters you want to use for those before doing the export. By default PhpSpreadsheet looks up in the server's locale settings to decide what characters to use. But to avoid problems it is recommended to set the characters explicitly as shown below. English users will want to use this before doing the export: ``` php \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Shared\StringHelper::setDecimalSeparator('.'); \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Shared\StringHelper::setThousandsSeparator(','); ``` German users will want to use the opposite values. ``` php \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Shared\StringHelper::setDecimalSeparator(','); \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Shared\StringHelper::setThousandsSeparator('.'); ``` Note that the above code sets decimal and thousand separators as global options. This also affects how HTML and PDF is exported. ## HTML PhpSpreadsheet allows you to read or write a spreadsheet as HTML format, for quick representation of the data in it to anyone who does not have a spreadsheet application on their PC, or loading files saved by other scripts that simply create HTML markup and give it a .xls file extension. **HTML limitations** Please note that HTML file format has some limits regarding to styling cells, number formatting, ... ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\HTML #### Reading a spreadsheet You can read an .html or .htm file using the following code: ``` php $reader = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\HTML(); $spreadsheet = $reader->load("05featuredemo.html"); ``` **HTML limitations** Please note that HTML reader is still experimental and does not yet support merged cells or nested tables cleanly ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\HTML Please note that \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\HTML only outputs the first worksheet by default. #### Writing a spreadsheet You can write a .htm file using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\HTML($spreadsheet); $writer->save("05featuredemo.htm"); ``` #### Write all worksheets HTML files can contain one or more worksheets. If you want to write all sheets into a single HTML file, use the following code: ``` php $writer->writeAllSheets(); ``` #### Write a specific worksheet HTML files can contain one or more worksheets. Therefore, you can specify which sheet to write to HTML: ``` php $writer->setSheetIndex(0); ``` #### Setting the images root of the HTML file There might be situations where you want to explicitly set the included images root. For example, one might want to see ``` html ``` instead of ``` html . ``` You can use the following code to achieve this result: ``` php $writer->setImagesRoot('http://www.example.com'); ``` #### Formula pre-calculation By default, this writer pre-calculates all formulas in the spreadsheet. This can be slow on large spreadsheets, and maybe even unwanted. You can however disable formula pre-calculation: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\HTML($spreadsheet); $writer->setPreCalculateFormulas(false); $writer->save("05featuredemo.htm"); ``` #### Embedding generated HTML in a web page There might be a situation where you want to embed the generated HTML in an existing website. \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\HTML provides support to generate only specific parts of the HTML code, which allows you to use these parts in your website. Supported methods: - generateHTMLHeader() - generateStyles() - generateSheetData() - generateHTMLFooter() Here's an example which retrieves all parts independently and merges them into a resulting HTML page: ``` php generateHTMLHeader(); ?> ?> --> generateSheetData(); echo $writer->generateHTMLFooter(); ?> ``` #### Writing UTF-8 HTML files A HTML file can be marked as UTF-8 by writing a BOM file header. This can be enabled by using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\HTML($spreadsheet); $writer->setUseBOM(true); $writer->save("05featuredemo.htm"); ``` #### Decimal and thousands separators See section \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV how to control the appearance of these. ## PDF PhpSpreadsheet allows you to write a spreadsheet into PDF format, for fast distribution of represented data. **PDF limitations** Please note that PDF file format has some limits regarding to styling cells, number formatting, ... ### \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Pdf PhpSpreadsheet’s PDF Writer is a wrapper for a 3rd-Party PDF Rendering library such as tcPDF, mPDF or DomPDF. You must now install a PDF rendering library yourself; but PhpSpreadsheet will work with a number of different libraries. Currently, the following libraries are supported: Library | Downloadable from | PhpSpreadsheet Internal Constant --------|-------------------------------------|--------------------------------- tcPDF | https://github.com/tecnickcom/tcpdf | PDF_RENDERER_TCPDF mPDF | https://github.com/mpdf/mpdf | PDF_RENDERER_MPDF domPDF | https://github.com/dompdf/dompdf | PDF_RENDERER_DOMPDF The different libraries have different strengths and weaknesses. Some generate better formatted output than others, some are faster or use less memory than others, while some generate smaller .pdf files. It is the developers choice which one they wish to use, appropriate to their own circumstances. Before instantiating a Writer to generate PDF output, you will need to indicate which Rendering library you are using. ``` php $rendererName = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Settings::PDF_RENDERER_MPDF; \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Settings::setPdfRendererName($rendererName); ``` #### Writing a spreadsheet Once you have identified the Renderer that you wish to use for PDF generation, you can write a .pdf file using the following code: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Pdf($spreadsheet); $writer->save("05featuredemo.pdf"); ``` Please note that \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Pdf only outputs the first worksheet by default. #### Write all worksheets PDF files can contain one or more worksheets. If you want to write all sheets into a single PDF file, use the following code: ``` php $writer->writeAllSheets(); ``` #### Write a specific worksheet PDF files can contain one or more worksheets. Therefore, you can specify which sheet to write to PDF: ``` php $writer->setSheetIndex(0); ``` #### Formula pre-calculation By default, this writer pre-calculates all formulas in the spreadsheet. This can be slow on large spreadsheets, and maybe even unwanted. You can however disable formula pre-calculation: ``` php $writer = new \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\Pdf($spreadsheet); $writer->setPreCalculateFormulas(false); $writer->save("05featuredemo.pdf"); ``` #### Decimal and thousands separators See section \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Writer\CSV how to control the appearance of these. ## Generating Excel files from templates (read, modify, write) Readers and writers are the tools that allow you to generate Excel files from templates. This requires less coding effort than generating the Excel file from scratch, especially if your template has many styles, page setup properties, headers etc. Here is an example how to open a template file, fill in a couple of fields and save it again: ``` php $spreadsheet = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::load('template.xlsx'); $worksheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet(); $worksheet->getCell('A1')->setValue('John'); $worksheet->getCell('A2')->setValue('Smith'); $writer = \PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\IOFactory::createWriter($spreadsheet, 'Xls'); $writer->save('write.xls'); ``` Notice that it is ok to load an xlsx file and generate an xls file. # Credits Please refer to the internet page [contributor list](https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/graphs/contributors) for up-to-date credits.